F.A Valiant & Son has built a legacy in the heritage sector that spans over 70 years and three generations.

Heritage & Traditional Build Magazine caught up with Simon Rutherford, Site Foreman at the company to discuss its latest project at the historic Christ’s College in Cambridge, as the company looks to expand its ever growing portfolio within the sector.

Heritage & Traditional Build: For a bit of context for our readers, could you give us a bit of background about F A Valiant & Son and the history of the company?

Simon Rutherford: Absolutely, F A Valiant & Son was founded back in 1945 by Fred Valiant, so we’re now well into our 70th year and in the third generation of family leadership. Fred originally started by rebuilding damaged buildings after the war and then took on contracts with Greene King, doing pub refurbishments and similar work.

After Fred passed away, his son Roger Valiant took over, and in the late 1970s to early 1980s, the company began specialising in church restoration work. That became a key focus for us, along with work on historic country manor houses; the kind of projects where craftsmanship and an understanding of listed building requirements are crucial.

Now, under Adrian Valiant, Fred’s grandson, F A Valiant & Son has grown considerably. 

Where we might have been working on two churches and a single country house 20 years ago, today we’re managing multiple major projects simultaneously, two universities, three country houses, and several churches. Nearly all of our work is on listed buildings, typically Grade I or Grade II.

HTB: Let’s turn to the project at Christ’s College. Could you give an overview of the roof restoration and what that entailed?

Rutherford: The roof was in a poor state when we arrived. This was phase three of the project, we’d already completed phase two around a year and a half earlier, so we had some sense of what we were in for. But once we uncovered the roof, we found it was worse than expected. Rafters were rotten, plates were deteriorated, and there had even been some historic fire damage. The section we were working on is around 300 to 400 years old, part of the original structure, first built by Lady Margaret Beaufort, a descendant of Henry VII.

The project has essentially been a full refurbishment, from the roof structure down through the fellows’ and students’ rooms beneath. We had to carry out extensive structural repairs while preserving as much of the historic fabric as possible.

HTB: Given the building’s listed status, what architectural or conservation principles did you have to follow?

Rutherford: Everything had to go through conservation officers. We worked closely with heritage planners, engineers, and specialists at every step. There were provisional sums for chimney work, but once we assessed them properly, we realised four chimneys were  badly deteriorated – with severe cracking, so they had to come down completely.

Getting approval for that involved a lot of back and forth with conservationists and engineers. That process alone caused a delay of about 17 weeks. 

Then, after the roof was assessed and dissected by the heritage team, there was another six-week delay before we could begin proper remedial works. None of that time had been built into the programme initially, it was all additional.

HTB: Let’s talk materials. What sort of approach did you take when it came to conserving or replacing original construction techniques and elements?

Rutherford: We’ve aimed to conserve everything we possibly can; that’s our approach on every job. Where replacement has been unavoidable, we’ve used like for like techniques and materials wherever possible. For example, we installed around 130 new Douglas fir rafters, each about 6.3 metres long and between 100–150mm thick. These had to be brought in from near Wales.

Where existing rafters could be retained, we added firring pieces and partnered them with the new rafters to provide strength without compromising heritage value. All stainless-steel fixings were hidden. For instance, in the wall plates, to keep the original character intact. 

We also had to take down unstable parapet and castellated walls and rebuild them according to engineers’ drawings, allowing airflow to the new structural timbers so they wouldn’t suffer the same fate.

HTB: Were there any sustainable practices or modern technologies you were able to integrate?

Rutherford: Yes, the Douglas fir itself is a more sustainable timber with a good strength to weight ratio. For the 22 dormers we worked on, we saved every frame we could. Many were partially rotten, but we salvaged the oak frontages, then rebuilt the rest in a mix of new oak and softwood.

Interestingly, those dormers weren’t originally built with much forethought – they’d just been cut through the principle rafters 200 years ago and were essentially floating. So, we stabilised the principle rafters and tied the new dormers properly into the structure. It was a huge job.

HTB: How do you balance making a historic building functional without compromising its character?

Rutherford: The building looks the same from the outside, we’ve maintained that completely.

The original stone slates, the Collyweston slates, were taken off, cleaned at their original quarry, and reinstalled.

 Internally, yes, there have been changes, new timbers, new structural elements – but all of that is hidden. It’s a complete restoration, not a redesign.

HTB: What other professionals have been involved in this project?

Rutherford: Bidwells is the Contracts Administrator and Principal Designer, and they liaise with us closely.

We work closely with structural consultants, who in turn propose plans to the conservation officers. 

Nothing gets done without their signoff. It’s a constant dialogue involving everyone from planners to engineers to conservationists.

HTB: What unexpected discoveries did you come across during the works?

Rutherford: Quite a few. Once the roof came off, we found it was totally rotten – no surprise at that age, really. Internally, we found clinker breeze block walls that had been built in the 1960s on top of wooden floors, which caused sagging. Those had to be removed, and we replaced them with proper timber walls to re stabilise the structure.

In the Porters’ Lodge, we uncovered sole plates covered by concrete floors, which meant we had to redo the footings and install new timber work. In the President’s Room, once the floorboards came up, we found the main beams were rotten, so we added hidden stainless steel plates to support the structure. 

All of that had to be done while meeting the new fire safety requirements introduced following the Grenfell report, so we installed Corofill barriers to meet the latest standards.

HTB: It sounds like the project really pushed the boundaries. What lessons will you take forward?

Rutherford: Every day’s a learning day on jobs like this. You pick up something new constantly. Whether it’s a construction technique, an engineering solution, or something from the conservation team. Every listed building is different, every challenge is unique. The key is to stay adaptable and collaborative.

HTB: What personal satisfaction do you get from working on historic buildings like Christ’s College?

Rutherford: It’s huge. To be part of something right in the heart of Cambridge and then walk past with your partner or family and be able to say, “We restored that” that’s incredibly rewarding. You’re preserving a piece of history, and that sense of pride never really wears off.

HTB: Finally, is there anything you’d like to add?

Rutherford: Just to say that traditional trades are the backbone of this kind of work. We’re fortunate to have a workforce skilled in heritage methods, but those trades are becoming harder to find. 

That’s why we run apprenticeships, to train the next generation and keep those skills alive. You can’t take someone from a new build site and drop them into a listed building. You need experience, care, and above all, passion. That’s what keeps a company like F A Valiant & Son going for over 70 years.